The Ivy of the Plains

[SDsportsFan]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

[quote author=jackmd We now need to get some of our state lawmakers to see things is the same light and thats just a matter of time.  [/quote]

Why do we need state lawmakers to see things in the same light? I'm not disagreeing with you, I just really don't know. Are we trying to get them to pass something for us?

[89rabbit]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

I guess I just feel the athletic fundraising has just been more publicized by State as of late and therefore my feelings that we are putting a stronger emphasis on athletics right now.

I don't think SDSU has emphasized it's athletic fundraising as much as the media has covered it a lot.  From the media's stand point, the general public is more apt to be interested in what is going on with SDSU's athletic endeavors then they are in how much money has been raised to support the Jackrabbit Guarantee or how the SDSU Foundation raised more then $2 million dollars to refurbish Solberg or The SDSU Foundation's $52.4 million Visions for the Future campaign. All focused on academics.

I don't think I have read or seen any stories on the new dorm that is being built or how construction on the Student Union expansion is coming along.  Athletics makes a good story that people will be interested in.  Bottom line although it may seem that SDSU has focused it's efforts on athletics, based on the number of stories about it in the media, the Universities focus has been and always will be on Academics.  

The athletic department sent me a card that I think speaks well to this subject.  On the front it says:

Passionate. Relentless. Champions
South Dakota State University

On the back it says:

Vision:
To be a premier student-centered collegiate athletic program.

Mission:

To passionately and relentlessly create an environment, rooted in sportmanship and ethical conduct, where motivated student-athletes can develop into lifelong champions.

Values:

Honesty, equity, academic integrity, fiscal integrity and social responsibility with the expectation of competing at the highest level.




Go State!  ;D

[89rabbit]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

The move is about athletics and academics.  After recently meeting with several of the SDSU Foundation board members I left with a better understanding about the possible academic benefits of this move.  Private/corporate donations are now great in number and size than they ever have been and will continue to rise.  

More importantly, SD universities currently rank last in the nation is securing federal research dollars and SDSU is partly responsible for this.  By securing relationships with corporations, increasing our exposure outside of the midwest, and offering greater compensation, better facilities, and a more appealing campus life (DI athletics) we will only increase our ability to recruit better students and better faculty.  Its a mistake to try and "sell" this move as primarily academic, but trying to diminish the potential academic benefits is an even bigger mistake.  

Progress is paramount especially for the future of a sparsely populated state like ours.  Retaining a greater percantage of our best and brightest students and recruiting similar students from surrounding areas and beyond will be a direct consequence of this decision.  I am confident of that and I am confident the USD will benefit indirectly by increased enrollment at SDSU.  We now need to get some of our state lawmakers to see things is the same light and thats just a matter of time.  

SDsportsFan,

I wouldn't presume to put words in jackmd's mouth, but we are still a State Assisted University with the legislature still maintatining oversight responsibilities. I think he was talking about support from the "Big Picture" standpoint of the University as a whole. At leaset that is the way I took it.


Go State! ;D

[SDsportsFan]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

I don't think SDSU has emphasized it's athletic fundraising as much as the media has covered it a lot.  From the media's stand point, the general public is more apt to be interested in what is going on with SDSU's athletic endeavors then they are in how much money has been raised to support the Jackrabbit Guarantee or how the SDSU Foundation raised more then $2 million dollars to refurbish Solberg or The SDSU Foundation's $52.4 million Visions for the Future campaign.  All focused on academics.

I don't think I have read or seen any stories on the new dorm that is being built or how construction on the Student Union expansion is coming along.  Athletics makes a good story that people will be interested in.  Bottom line although it may seem that SDSU has focused it's efforts on athletics, based on the number of stories about it in the media, the Universities focus has been and always will be on Academics.  

The athletic department sent me a card that I think speaks well to this subject.  On the front it says:

Passionate. Relentless. Champions
South Dakota State University

On the back it says:

Vision:
To be a premier student-centered collegiate athletic program.

Mission:

To passionately and relentlessly create an environment, rooted in sportmanship and ethical conduct, where motivated student-athletes can develop into lifelong champions.

Values:

Honesty, equity, academic integrity, fiscal integrity and social responsibility with the expectation of competing at the highest level.




Go State!  ;D

I do think that the general student body (non athletes) will be able to see some academic benefit as a result of this move. I do have a small fear that hasn't really been discussed by too many people. I fear that it might be the athletes who suffer academically. At the D-I level sports is really more of a business, just look at Notre Dame. Thats a school who have always prided themselves on integrity and they fired a guy who they say was doing a great job Sunday through Friday but wasn't getting the job done on Saturday. At the DII level you are a student first and athlete second, at most D-I schools it is the other way around. I'm not saying State will be one of those schools, but it is a concern. That is why NSU's basketball coach, Don Meyer, left when his college made the move to D-I. He is big on athletes being students first and he didn't feel that was promoted at the D-I level, he didn't feel it was as pure. Maybe that should be something the individual athlete can worry about in making their decision on whether they want to participate in D-I athletics. If they decide thats what they want to do, then maybe I shouldn't really worry about it. What do you guys think? Do you think these are legit concerns or is that only a concern at schools like Nebraska, Miami, ND, FSU, etc.

[SDsportsFan]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

SDsportsFan,

I wouldn't presume to put words in jackmd's mouth, but we are still a State Assisted University with the legislature still maintatining oversight responsibilities.     I think he was talking about support from the "Big Picture" standpoint of the University as a whole.  At leaset that is the way I took it.


Go State!  ;D

Do we need any more money from them than we did before? Or by support do you mean to endorse this move as a good one.

[89rabbit]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

The best example I can think of is that SDSU is going to build a Wellness Center with money that was privately raised.  The Legislature still had to pass a bill to authorize the building of the Wellness Center, even though the Legislature was not kicking in any funds.

The Legislature did however fund the $5 million dollar renovation to the Dakota Dome roof over at USD. :-/

Go State!  ;D

[SDsportsFan]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

The best example I can think of is that SDSU is going to build a Wellness Center with money that was privately raised.  The Legislature still had to pass a bill to authorize the building of the Wellness Center, even though the Legislature was not kicking in any funds.

The Legislature did however fund the $5 million dollar renovation to the Dakota Dome roof over at USD.  :-/

Go State!  ;D

So has the legislature stopped giving us money or been giving us less money because we have made this move to D-I? I really don't know because I haven't followed it as closely as I should have.

[jackmd]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

Why do we need state lawmakers to see things in the same light? I'm not disagreeing with you, I just really don't know. Are we trying to get them to pass something for us?

I believe (this is just me now, maybe I'm being paranoid) that there is a faction of elected officials who want the move to DI to fail. The petition drawn-up by the leaders of this faction clearly states that they do not wish any state funds to be directed towards the advancement of the athletic programs to DI at SDSU. As you can tell, I don't think you can clearly separate the athletics from the academics with regards to the up from a DII to a DI university (again, maybe I'm wrong). For them to explicitly state that funds should not be directed towards SDSU because of their opposition to the move to DI is at best short-sighted and at worst downright roguish. Perhaps, I am projecting the views of the minority onto the majority (as paranoid people might do). I just want those who need it to have an open-mind. The caveat here, my mind may not be open with regards to the topic.

I hope this explains what I meant.

[jackmd]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

Here is a link to the topic being discussed late last year.  Man, I was a little angry at Frank.

http://diaafootball.com/cgi-bin/yabb...num=1074875400

[89rabbit]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

So has the legislature stopped giving us money or been giving us less money because we have made this move to D-I? I really don't know because I haven't followed it as closely as I should have.

I'm not sure I can answer your question any better then I already have. One thing is for sure, they have not given us more money and we have not asked for any more money from them because we are D-I. Does that help?

Go State! ;D

[SDsportsFan]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

I'm not sure I can answer your question any better then I already have.  One thing is for sure, they have not given us more money and we have not asked for any more money from them because we are D-I.  Does that help?

Go State!  ;D

Kloucek said he believes legislation is needed to keep state funds from being spent on the move to Division I athletics.
We are not even asking for more money, why is everyone so mad at Frank. We are funding this move on our own, that is what we agreed to do. If we haven't asked the legislature to fund it for us I really don't get why people are mad at Frank. Maybe I'm missing something. As long as they don't give us less funding than they did when we were DII then I don't see what the problem is. They haven't cut our funding, have they?

[Mike_H]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

jackmd: The President and Athletic Director have said from the beginning that no additional money from the state would be used for this move. I think this is just a way for those legislators to make sure that is the case. I don't think you are being paranoid, and I agree that if there is spite involved, that is not right, either.

[89rabbit]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

Kloucek said he believes legislation is needed to keep state funds from being spent on the move to Division I athletics.
We are not even asking for more money, why is everyone so mad at Frank.  We are funding this move on our own, that is what we agreed to do. If we haven't asked the legislature to fund it for us I really don't get why people are mad at Frank.  Maybe I'm missing something.  As long as they don't give us less funding than they did when we were DII then I don't see what the problem is.  They haven't cut our funding, have they?

I think the anger directed at Frank steems more from comments that he has made in the media and other bills that he has introduced that failed miserably.  

Example:

389J0081    SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION   NO.     1  

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION,  Encouraging the South Dakota Board of Regents to rescind its support of South Dakota State University's pursuit to move from the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II to Division I.  .  .  .

  NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,  by the Senate of the Seventy-ninth Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the Legislature encourages the South Dakota Board of Regents to rescind its support of South Dakota State University's pursuit to move from National Collegiate Athletics Association Division II to Division I.
sted as Senate Concurrent Resolution No1 (SCR1).  


This is really old news, and I think all would agree that Frank has not been a friend of SDSU's move to D-I athletics.  However it doesn't matter because SDSU has made the move and has not cost the state of South Dakota in so doing.

One might think that Frank would be more concerned with USD's inability to comply with Title IX standards which has cost the state lots of money.  :-/

Go State!  ;D

[SDsportsFan]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

Thanks for your patience in explaining this to me 89rabbit. It seems that you give me different explanations than JackMD, maybe not. JackMD seems to be upset that we aren't getting more funding to help our move, but you say thats not the reason people are mad at Frank. Your reasons make since. I was confused after reading Jackmd's post because I thought he was mad that we weren't getting something that we never asked for. I probably misinterpreted his statements. Either way, thanks for clearing this up for me.

[89rabbit]

Re: The Ivy of the Plains

Perhaps the good Doctor and I are on different pages. I am not sure. I am sure that we have not asked the Legislature for additional funding to support our move.

Go State! ;D